Manufacturing spring assemblies



Feb. 27, 1934. J. F. GAIL MANUFACTURING SPRING ASSEMBLIES Filed Oct. 24, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet l W m m o o o m o w PM W Feb. 27, 1934. J. F. GAIL MANUFACTURING SPRING ASSEMBLIES Filed Oct. 24, 1929 2 Sheeis-Sheet 2 fJZZ/fi Lfainf azz Patented Feb. 27, 1934 PATENT OFFICE MANUFACTURING SPRING ASSEMBLIES John F. Gail, Evanston, 111., assignor to Simmons Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application October 24, 1929. Serial No. 402,141

5 Claims. (01. 1403) The invention relates to improvements in manufacturing spring assemblies and is particularly applicable in connection with the manufacture of furniture in which supporting surfaces for reclining or sitting upon are composed of a series of rows of axially vertical coiled wire springs, the upper surfaces of which are suitably tied together to hold the springs in the desired position while at the same time not unduly interfering with the resiliency or softness of the supporting surface.

The principal objects of the invention are to provide a construction of spring assembly which will admit of rapid and convenient manufacture by relatively simple equipment; to provide a method and apparatus for manufacturing the said spring assemblies whereby the same may be produced in a progressive sequence and of any desired length or width; and in general, to pro-. vide an improved type of construction, process, and apparatus of the character indicated.

In the drawings which illustrate one applicationof the invention, there is illustrated the ,manufacture of inner spring construction units such as are used in the construction of mattresses or cushions, it being understood that the completion of the mattress or cushion usually contemplates the addition of suitable padding and covering which, however, is well known to those in the art and need not be described in connection with the present invention.

In the said drawings Fig. 1 is a vertical longitudinal section through the apparatus which is indicated in somewhat diagrammatic form in order to clarify the disclosure;.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan view 'of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a section taken on the line 3+3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of a portion of the upper surface of one of the spring assembly groups; and

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic plan ofv a web of connected springs divided into two unit groups.

By referring to the drawings it will be observed that the particular inner spring assembly herein shown comprises a series of rows of axially vertical coiled wire springs preferably of an hourglass or semi-hourglass type as indicated. These parallel rows of springs 10 are connected together in the row by means of U-shaped clips 11 which are inserted through pairs of small slots 12 punched in the flexible and resilient slats or hands 13 which in the present instance are made of steel although obviously they might be made of other materials or shapes in order to conform with the'particular type of connection between the springs and said strands 13.

One of the important features of the present invention resides in the construction of a web of grouped spring units as parts of a continuous sequence of parallel rows of connected springs so that said continuous web may be'subsequently divided into units or unit groups containing the desired number of the rows of said connected springs. Obviously such separation of the continuous web or sequence may be effected by any suitable instrumentalities which are capable of severing the strands 13 intermediate the transverse lOWS of connected coil springs. Inasmuch as said severing or separating devices may be of any desired type or construction, it is not necessary to illustrate the same in this application.

For example, a simple shearing device operated by hand or power might be used for cutting the bands 13 herein shown.

Describing the apparatus which is somewhat diagrammatically indicated in Fig. 1 of the drawings, it will be understood that the strands 13 are paid out from a series of supply reels or coils, arranged in two sets, one an upper set of reels 14 for supplying the strands for the top side of the unit and another set of reels 15 for supplying the strands for the bottom side of the spring assembly. Said spools or reels 14 and 15 are preferably supported on shafts or other suitable devices 16 and 1'! spaced apart vertically a sufficient distance so as not to interfere with the introduction of the springs 10 into the space between the upper strands 13 and the lower strands 19. Preferably the strands 18 and 19 are maintained a distance apart somewhat less than the over-all heightof the separate springs 10 so that when the springs 10 are inserted between said strands, by hand or otherwise, they will remain in position after said insertion and the top and bottom convolutions of the respective springs will be maintained in reasonably intimate contact with the opposed inwardly facing surfaces of the said bands or strands 18 and 19. In order to maintain such spacing there may be arranged pairs of rollers 20 and 21 extending across the equipment and each engaging the entire series of strands, it being understood that there is a similar set of rollers below the apparatus and that the rollers are suitably supported for relatively of apparatus and as it will be apparent that certain of the novel steps of the process may be performed by hand or by machinery as desired, nevertheless in the present instance in order to increase the efiiciency of the equipment, it is preferable to provide some special equipment for the purpose of facilitating the application of the clips.

To this end, I arrange between each pair of strands located in corresponding positions at the top and bottom of the unit, a pair of anvil bars or tracks 22 and 23 preferably maintained the desired distance apart by spacing struts or posts 24 located in register with the operating points of the clinching or crimping tools. The anvil bars 22 and 23 converge and are connected together toward the intake end of the apparatus as indicated at 25 and the common stem or tie-bar 26 formed by the union of the legs 22 and 23 is extended back a suflicient distance so as not to interfere with the insertion of the springs 10. Since the bars 26 are of material thickness, it is advisable to bend the same upwardly and downwardly alternately in the transverse series of said bars 26 so that the upper supports 27 are not closer together than twice the distance between the spring centers, the same being true of the corresponding downwardly directed portions 28 of the alternate bars 26. Thus the springs 10 may be readily inserted into the converging throat between the upper and lower strands 18 and 19 without material interference from the anvil bar supports.

As the apparatus herein shown is of relatively simple form the springs 10 may be inserted into the throats of the strands by hand and during such insertion, the feed of the strands is preferably arrested. The clips 12, are of simple U-shape as indicated in dotted lines at 29 in Fig. 3, are then inserted in the respective bottomstrands and subsequently the upper set of clips is inserted in similar but reversed position, the bars 22 preventing said clips from dropping out of position.

When the strands are then advanced by any suitable pulling equipment or even by manual effort applied from the delivery end of the appa ratus, the clips to be clinched are propelled into the position indicated at 29 directly above and below the anvil post 24. When in such position the top and bottom clips are clinched simultaneously so as to balance the pressure on the opposite ends of the strut 24. Such crimping may be effected by any type of punch or die or even by hand pliers though naturally it is advantageous to employ a punching device which will clinch all of the clips in the series extending across the mattress at a single operation.

Desirably, the progressive movement of all of the strands, continuously or step by step as suited to whatever type of mechanical equipment is used, should be synchronized so that when the crimping devices are actuated, the connecting points of the strands will be in accurate register. To effect such synchronized movement of the strands there may be used at the top and also at the bottom, a seriesoi belts or chains 30 each trained around one of the rollers 20 and a sprocket 31 keyed to a transverse shaft 32. On each of the chains 30 there is arranged a series of spaced pins 33 so placed as to register with apertures 34 in the strands midway between the pairs of clip apertures as well shown in Fig. 2. It will be understood that these feed holes 34 and the clip apertures 12 are punched in the strips before the latter are fed into the throat of the apparatus. Said punching may be effected by devices forming a part of the organized apparatus or may be eifected in advance.

To insure that the lower strands will be in proper register with the bottom strands, the upper shaft 32 is geared to the lower shaft 32 by means of a suitable train comprising a sprocket 37 keyed to the upper shaft 32, a chain 38 driving a sprocket keyed to an intermediate spur gear 39 which meshes with a corresponding spur gear 40 keyed to the lower shaft 32.

It will be understood that the strands 13 if made of flexible strip steel must be thin enough to permit the necessary flexing when the spring assembly is used for the desired purpose.

It will be manifest that with the above described apparatus and mode of operation, a web of connected rows of axially spaced coiled wire springs may be produced and that a web of any desired width within the limits of the apparatus may be produced. Obviously, the web may be separated into lengths or unit groups by severing the connecting bands 13 to form unit groups composed of any desired number of spaced rows of springs. In Fig. 5, a web embodying the described construction is illustrated as it appears when divided into two unit groups designated A and B respectively.

The described details of construction and operation being illustrative of merely one application of my invention, the scope of the same should be determined by reference to the appended claims, construed as broadly as possible, consistant with the state of the art.

I claim as my invention:

1. The improvement in the art of manufacturing a connected series of axially-vertical-coil wire spring assemblies for bed bottoms or analogous uses, whichcomprises progressively advancing two series of spaced parallel flexible strands, each forming an integral part of a continuous supply source, the strands of each series beingarranged in a single plane, and the two series being positioned in parallel spaced planes, successively positioning between and advancing with said series of strands spaced rows of springs having their axes perpendicular to said planes and connecting each end of each spring to and between adjacent strands of the adjacent plane and subsequently separating the product into unit groups of the desired size.

2. The improvement in the art of manufac-- turing bed bottoms which comprises progressively advancing as a unit, a series of spaced, parallel, coplanar flexible strands and a transversely extending row of springs, each of the springs intermediate the end springs of said row having an end coil in predetermined juxtaposition relative to two adjacent strands of said series of strands, connecting said transversely extending row of springs to said strands, and subsequently severing said strands to separate the product into unit groups of the desired size.

3. The improvement in the art of manufacturing axially vertical coil wire spring assemblies for bed bottoms or analogous uses which comprises advancing as a unit, a series of parallel flexible strands and a series of successively positioned coil springs, each of said springs having an end coil in predetermined juxtaposition relative to said strands, connecting the end coils of the springs to said strands, and subsequently separating the product into unit groups of the desired size.

turing axially vertical coll wire spring assemblies for bed bottoms or analogous uses, which comprises progressively advancing as a unit a series of spaced, parallel, coplanar flexible strands and transversely extending rows of springs, the axes of said springs being substantially parallel to each other and perpendicular to the plane of the strands, connecting the end coils of said springs to said strands and subsequently separating the resulting series 0! connected rows oi. springs into unit groups of the desired size.

: JOHN F. GAIL. 

